Issue(s): Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #44, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #45
Cover Date: Jul-Aug 80
Title: "The vengeance gambit!" / "Wings of fire, wings of fear"
Credits:
Marv Wolfman / Roger Stern - Writer
Stephen Leialoha / Marie Severin - Penciler
Alan Gordon / Steven Mitchell - Inker

Review/plot:
Stephen Leialoha gets co-plotting credits for issue #44.

The Vulture tries to take over the New York mob but Spidey mucks things up. It wasn't really a good fit for him anyway, in my opinion.

A lot of the Vulture's business is run by his nephew, Malachai.

Malachai is killed in this issue.

The Vulture's main competitor is some guy who thinks he should run the mob because he can lift a lot of weights.

And to be fair, that is a lot of weights.

Not a terrible story but not anything special, either. A little weak for Roger Stern, but it did start with Wolfman. I generally like Leialoha, and Severin is a competent veteran, but i really can't say much for the art in either issue.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP places this between Amazing Spider-Man #206-207.

References:

• The Vulture is trying to muscle in on the gap in leadership left when the Kingpin retired in Amazing Spider-Man #197.
  
• The lieutenant who puts up the most resistance to the Vulture's take-over attempt controls the Harlem mob, having taken over from Morgan when he was arrested in Marvel Team-Up #88.
  
• The Vulture was rescued by his nephew Malachai after he seemingly died in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #5.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

This may have been an uncompleted inventory story; Marv Wolfman had defected to DC by this time.

ive never understood how un-super villains like the vulture and doc ock could absorb punches to the face like those in the above panels. since he has no head protection youd think vulture would be out with one punch.

Roger Stern eventually retconned the Vulture so that his flight harness gives him minor superhuman strength.

yeah, but that still doesnt explain why a spidey punch to his unprotected head doesnt knock him out.

I felt so darn sad at seeing how upset Vulture got when his nephew is killed. Well at least he finds out he has a grand daughter in 2004.

And The Vulture can take a punch from Spidey in the face because he is a boss. I think he just nulifies the punches from younger people what with beating up Blackie Drago.

I think this is the first time we learn the Vulture's surname is "Toomes." Stern would give him a first name during his run on Amazing.

Kveto makes a great point here that is often left unstated - that super-strength doesn't necessarily give you superhuman endurance. It's one thing for characters like Thor or Thing or Colossus to take punches from other superhumans - their circumstances obviously make it possible. But just because you wear something that makes you stronger, that shouldn't give you more endurance.

Roger Stern eventually retconned the Vulture so that his flight harness gives him minor superhuman strength.

That retcon actually happens in this very story; in #45, Spidey notes that "the power pack in his flight suit boosts his strength so that he's almost in my league."

And it's rather funny to realize that the Vulture ended up with the last name "Toomes" mostly because Marv Wolfman came up with a punny name for his mortician nephew. Though it works with the vulture image, too.

Lee and Ditko never explicitly stated why the Vulture was so strong, but he always was strong enough to tangle with Spidey, lift him and carry him through the air with one hand, and do many things a skinny old man shouldn't have the stamina or strength to handle. By the time of Amazing Spider-Man #63-65 by Lee and Romita in '68 you could figure it out just by following in-story clues. In Amazing #2, the mystery was, how does he fly?, and the last page answer was, "magnetic power." In #7, he made a new set of wings "far more powerful than before." As the Vulture, he was strong and fast, and would always get in at least one good punch or kick. He could grapple with Spidey a little. But when the wings were disabled, he would immediately weaken like a rag doll. Each time he came back was always with an upgraded magnetic power pack (which gave him the vulture-like lump on his back) and new wings. He outclassed the younger and apparently stronger Blackie Drago in #63-65, because he'd upgraded his power pack again, whereas Blackie had the older version. In #63, p.18, he said, "Nobody ever believes how strong I am. That's what always gives me the advantage." Then Spidey crushed his power pack in #65 and again he went limp. It's all implied though-- still early enough in the Marvel Age that no detailed Roy Thomas style explanations were required. Unstated mysteriousness was still fun.

In the comments on Amazing Spider-Man #206 I found this quote, from a Roger Stern Spider-Man Omnibus, linked via a tinypic url:

"Sitting in a drawer of the Spider-Office was the first part of an unfinished two-part Spider-Man story started by Marv Wolfman and Steve Leialoha. With Denny's blessing, I copy edited that story to fit it into the ongoing continuity, and it became Spectacular #44. Then I plotted the next issue, finishing the story, and we were back on schedule."

Roger Stern was apparently content to leave his contributions out of the credits for #44, since his name doesn't appear on the title page credits, nor on the GCD listing for #44. This also helps explain why Marv Wolfman was credited with writing a story which was consistent with continuity established after he had already left Marvel.